May 2023

Hi Caddyshackers, 

Sexual health is an important aspect of overall health and well-being, and it is important for everyone, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, to have access to accurate and comprehensive information about sexual health. There are many factors that can impact sexual health, including cultural and social norms, personal beliefs, and access to healthcare.

It’s important for people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities to be able to access information and healthcare services that are sensitive to their cultural and linguistic needs. This may include access to healthcare providers who speak their language, or who are familiar with their cultural practices and beliefs. It is also important for healthcare providers to be aware of any potential barriers to care that people from these communities may face, such as stigma or discrimination, and to work to address these barriers.

There are many resources available to help people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities learn about sexual health and access healthcare services. These resources may include community centres, healthcare clinics, and online resources. It’s important to seek out reliable and accurate sources of information, and to talk to a healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns about your sexual health.

spoiler alert

That first bit of this month’s blog was written by Artificial Intelligence!

I know, gasp!

You can tell, but still it’s pretty cool.

To all the detractors out there railing about it on YouTube (irony much?) we think that this kind of development is inevitable. Who is in control? You or The Bot? You are!

Want to go down a rabbit hole? Check this out - ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chatbot launched by OpenAI in November 2022. Read more about it here and remember as it gets more use, it gets smarter.

Love a good movie trailer?

This move towards AI isn’t new. Robots taking over the world, human’s falling inlove with robots. We have heard it all!

Quick shout out to the movie Her.

If you didn’t see this prescient flick back in 2013, we highly recommend.

Jump out for the trailer, but come back to us ok?

Our next guest on the couch!

So the preamble by the Bot leads us to our next On The Couch webinar guest which is coming up in June.

Ruiqi Fan!

Ruiqi Fan is a clinical nurse specialist who has been working in the sexual health field for seven years. She is currently working at the Sydney Sexual Health Centre.

Ruiqi first came to Sydney as an overseas student and studied her Bachelor of Nursing at Western Sydney University and later find her passion as a sexual health nurse leading her to then to complete a Master’s degree in sexual health at Sydney University.

Ruiqi particularly enjoys working with Mandarin speaking clients and she feels that her bilingual ability along with having a migrant experience to Australia has enabled her to be more compassionate and build rapport with clients from a similar background.

We are delighted to be hosting Ruiqi On The Couch, so we can discuss all things around sexual health in this culturally and linguistically diverse space.

Outside of work, Ruiqi is a big fan of food from a variety of backgrounds.

We hear you!

Resources Please

In the meantime, if you are looking for reliable and accurate information about sexual and reproductive health in languages other than English we can highly recommend the following:

Multicultural Health Connect is the first national helpline to help people in multicultural communities get health information and advice. The helpline is free and confidential, and run by workers from multicultural backgrounds. When you call Multicultural Health Connect, you will speak with a trained worker who understands and respects your culture, needs and concerns. They can help you in your language or with the help of an interpreter.

Family Planning NSW publishes fact sheets in a wide range of community languages. These provide essential information about reproductive and sexual health, contraception, menstruation and STIs.

The Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis Service (MHAHS) works with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in NSW to improve health and well-being in relation to HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The service works with more than 20 language groups and implements a range of health promotion, community development and media initiatives, as well as offering individual assistance to people living with HIV.

Closer to home, if you are after broader health topics The NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS) is a state-wide health service hosted by South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD). MHCS was established in 1997 by NSW Health to strengthen the capacity of health services and programs to effectively and appropriately communicate with people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds and coordinate the provision of multilingual health information.

Lastly, the International Student Health Hub, which Maddy from our team is a huge driver behind, for all things sexual and reproductive health for international students.

Right now we are loving

Stories Out West, an initiative of ACON, is a definitive anthology bringing together emerging and established writers who use the power of storytelling to share their experiences of being LGBTQIA+SB First Nations or LGBTQIA+ and culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse, with a connection to Western Sydney.

Culture, class, language, ability, gender, sexuality and geography all play a part in shaping the many stories of multicultural LGBTQIA+ people living in Western Sydney.

Stories Out West asserts the right of multicultural LGBTQIA+ communities to exercise autonomy throughout all aspects of sharing their voices and stories. These writers have claimed the space to creatively define themselves on their own terms. The power of telling one’s own stories can amplify one’s connection to their identity and increase their sense of belonging to their community.

From stories about family, migration, love, and resilience, Stories Out West showcases the diversity of experience hidden within Western Sydney.

When is the webinar with Ruiqi?

On The Couch with Ruiqi Fan will be on from 10am to 11am, Tuesday 6th June.

Peace, Love & Protection

x